Contest For Successor Is Wide Open

Orange County Commissioner Ted Edwards was working the phones inside the commission chambers after the weekly meeting ended Tuesday.

"I want to be chairman,'' he said into the phone.

And so the race is on to replace Orange County Chairman Mel Martinez. By all counts, there's a long list of candidates vying for the county's top job -- a list that includes former legislators and current members of the commission.

The names being bandied about Tuesday included Edwards, fellow commissioners Mary I. Johnson and Clarence Hoenstine, former state Rep. Bill Sublette, former Senate President Toni Jennings and even John Ostalkiewicz, the former state senator whom Martinez defeated for chairman in a bruising 1998 campaign.

The contest seems to be wide open. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will make the choice. State law gives him the authority to appoint a replacement for the remaining two years on Martinez's term. The next election to fill the $115,000-a-year job will be in 2002.

Bush pledged to have an open process to replace Martinez.

"That's a hugely important job, the CEO of a major, major metropolitan area's government," he said. "I'd want to see who's interested in serving and talk to friends and people I respect in the Central Florida area and make a choice, probably after the holidays."

Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood said she thinks the governor will rely primarily upon her advice and that of Martinez, the two most prominent leaders in local government.

But Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney, an Oviedo Republican, may also be involved.

Feeney's director of external affairs, Cheryl Moore, said she thinks Feeney will be asked for his input after Bush whittles the crop of candidates to a short list.

Feeney had not yet drafted his own list of preferred replacements, Moore said. "He hasn't even finished drafting the congratulations letter to Mel," she said.

Here is a quick look at the names most often repeated during the past couple of days:

Edwards, a lawyer who considers himself a strong conservative. In the past few weeks, he has tried to soften his image, discussing the environment, for instance, as a top concern.

Hoenstine, first elected to represent southeast Orange County in 1994 and re-elected in 1998. He cast the swing vote in 1999 that killed the proposed light-rail system for the county. After supporting the plan for months, he changed course suddenly, which earned him hero status among the anti-rail contingent.

Like Edwards, Hoenstine is already trying to drum up support. "I'm very serious about it," Hoenstine said. "I've had a lot of supporters calling me.''

Johnson, who tried to mount a campaign for chairman in 1998, but dropped out after it became obvious her fund-raising effort was being overwhelmed by Martinez and Ostalkiewicz. She was the staunchest supporter of light rail on the commission.

"I have the most experience in the city [Orlando] and in the county, and I'm a consensus-builder," said Johnson, a Democrat who said she hopes the Republican governor keeps in mind that the chairman's office is nonpartisan.

Jennings, a Republican who runs her family's construction business. She was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1976, moved to the Senate in 1980 and served an unprecedented two terms as Senate president, beginning in 1997.

Like 11 other senators, Jennings was forced out by term limits. She campaigned for the state insurance commissioner's job before abruptly dropping out in June, saying she had realized she was "running for a job I didn't want." In Tallahassee, Jennings was known for fighting welfare giveaways, cutting taxes, increasing school spending and providing health insurance for poor kids.

She is known for fiercely guarding her privacy, which could be difficult as chairman.

Ostalkiewicz, a former Republican senator and diamond dealer from Windermere. He spent $1.3 million of his own money fighting Martinez for the chairman's job, campaigning against big government.

He developed a reputation for being something of an extremist, gaining notoriety when he ran for the Legislature by attacking the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, saying it was overzealous in taking children from their parents after sloppy child-abuse investigations.

Sublette, a lawyer best known for his eight years in the Legislature, where he sponsored legislation to cap high-interest loans. Though he raised more than $500,000 in his race against Ric Keller for Congress, he was a surprise loser in the Republican primary.

He was regarded by both sides as a moderate, a label that doomed him in the congressional race, but could serve him well in a nonpartisan chairman's job.

"If the governor were to ask, I would be honored to do it," he said. "I've had quite a few calls today from groups who have really encouraged me to do it.''

Hood said she would urge Bush to make his choice quickly.

"Because the longer that something like this goes on, the more rumors start flying," she said.

Two other names bandied about -- Hood and former Mayor Bill Frederick -- said they weren't interested in the job.